Corn Maze Becomes World's Largest QR Code

In a triumph of both technology and agriculture, the Guinness World Record for largest Quick Response code has been claimed by a corn maze. The maze was the brainchild of the Kraay family of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, farmers who decided to add a technological twist to the maze they make every year.

"We were just sitting around reading magazines and stuff when we saw one of the QR codes on the cover" Rachel Kraay told ABC News, describing the origin of the idea "I thought, 'You know it kinds of looks like a maze, I wonder if we could make one?' and the idea just kind of snowballed from there."

Veteran's of the corn maze industry, the Kraays contacted their maze designer, who helped make their dream a reality. Working together, they constructed the 15 acre maze, 7 acres of which are taken up by the QR code. (If you haven't seen them, QR codes now appear on many publications and other commercial products, and one can scan them with a smartphone for more information.)

Creating a fully functional QR code out of corn is no mean feat and the process did run into a few snags along the way. "The first time it didn't and work and we figured out that it was because the paths weren't dark enough compared to the corn." Rachel Kray said. They went back, she said, to darken the paths in order to make the code functional.

When the code or a photo of it is scanned, users are directed to the Kraay family farm website, which showcases the attractions they offer to visitors, including mini golf, a chicken show, and a pig race. The activities they advertise, according to Rachel Kraay, are just the tip of the iceberg. "Families come and they say they'll spend one or two hours," she said. "They end up spending five or six."